Everyday Italian (17 page)
Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
Bring a Large Pot
of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus and cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the pasta, asparagus, ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and the 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid, and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to shallow bowls and serve.
Spaghetti with clams is very different from spaghetti with clam sauce. The former is a dish with a light, fragrant dressing tossed with whole clams; in my opinion, it’s the only way to make this dish. It’s also beautiful on the table; there’s something about the shells combined with pasta that just looks so satisfying. And satisfying it is. You could also use mussels, for a twist, or small New Zealand cockles, whose refined shape and delicate flavor make for a more elegant version.
4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| Salt | |
| 1 | pound dried spaghetti |
| ½ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
| 2 | shallots, finely chopped |
| 5 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 2½ | pounds Manila clams, scrubbed clean |
| ½ | cup dry white wine |
| ½ | cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
| ½ | teaspoon sea salt |
| ½ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon |
Bring a Large Pot
of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. When almost smoking, add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until the garlic is golden brown and the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes (being careful not to burn the garlic). Add the clams, wine, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and ½ teaspoon each of sea salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until most of the clams have opened, about 6 minutes (discard any shellfish that do not open). Whisk in the butter to thicken the sauce slightly.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving ⅓ cup of the cooking liquid. Do not rinse the spaghetti with water; you want to retain the natural starches that help the sauce adhere to the spaghetti. Toss the spaghetti with the clam mixture in the pan to coat. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten.
Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the pasta. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
INDULGENCES
I’m not going to kid you: These dishes aren’t for dieters. But richness has its place too, and nothing beats a perfectly cooked pasta dressed for elegance. So for that special meal, try indulging yourself with these recipes.
There’s only one thing I can say about this dish: It’s
so
good you won’t believe it.
4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | pound pancetta, diced into 1-inch cubes |
| ½ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 6 | large eggs, at room temperature |
| ½ | cup heavy cream, at room temperature |
| 1¼ | cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| ½ | teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 | pound dried penne |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
In a Large Sauté pan,
heat the oil over a medium flame. When almost smoking, add the pancetta and sauté until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon of black pepper and remove the pan from the heat.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and cream. Stir in ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon of sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Do not rinse the pasta with water; you want to retain the pasta’s natural starches that help the sauce adhere.
While the pasta is still hot, return it to the pot, and quickly toss with the browned pancetta, then the cream mixture. It’s important to work quickly while the pasta is still hot so that the cream mixture will cook, but not curdle. Toss with the remaining cup of Parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley. Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to bowls and serve.
If you can’t find pancetta, bacon is a good substitute.
This famous cream sauce is named after its creator, Alfredo Di Lelio, who made it for his wife when she lost her appetite after the birth of their son. Alfredo’s dish was made of egg-rich fettuccine, butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and it became a hit in his restaurant (Alfredo’s) in Rome. In 1927, two Hollywood movie stars also fell in love with it and brought the recipe back to the States. The dish had to be adapted because the butter and Parmesan that were available here weren’t as rich as they were in Italy. So chefs added heavy cream. I’ve added my own twist with the addition of lemon juice and zest. Fresh pasta is a must, because dried pasta can’t stand up to all the rich ingredients.
6 FIRST-COURSE SERVINGS
| 1½ | cups heavy cream |
| ¼ | cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon) |
| 6 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 1 | to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from about 1 lemon) |
| Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg | |
| Salt | |
| 9 | ounces fresh fettuccine |
| 1 | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste |
In a Large,
heavy skillet, stir 1 cup of the cream and the lemon juice to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until the butter melts, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and nutmeg. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 4 minutes. Drain. Add the pasta, the remaining ½ cup of cream, the Parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the cream sauce in the skillet. Toss over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to wide, shallow serving bowls and serve immediately.
with Béchamel Sauce
Traditionally, this rich dish is served as a main course, and as a kid that’s the way I ate it. But it also works in our health-conscious world as a starter or a side with something fresher and lighter—say, grilled fish drizzled with lemon juice or grilled meat. A creamy, cheesy dish like this is just the thing to make you feel coddled, as if your dining room is the coziest spot on earth.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 1 | teaspoon olive oil |
| 4 | cups Béchamel Sauce |
| ½ | pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into thin strips |
| 1 | cup freshly grated fontina cheese |
| ½ | teaspoon salt, plus more to taste |
| Pinch of freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste | |
| 1 | pound dried rigatoni |
| 3 | tablespoons unsalted butter, diced |
Preheat the Oven
to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with the oil. In a medium saucepan, stir the béchamel sauce over medium heat until hot (do not allow the sauce to boil). Stir in the prosciutto, ½ cup of the fontina cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of white pepper. Set the cheese sauce aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender but still very firm, about 5 minutes (do not cook the pasta to doneness at this point, since it will continue cooking as it bakes in the oven). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the cheese sauce and season the pasta mixture with more salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared dish, then sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of fontina cheese and dot the top with the butter. (The pasta can be prepared up to this point 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Uncover before baking.) Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.
PASTA
We’ve all been there: Without thinking, you just dump that whole pound of pasta into the boiling water. Once it’s plumped up and drained, you realize that it’s far more pasta than your appetite can handle. Don’t despair—and don’t throw it away. Take a hint from the Italians, who are incredibly inventive when it comes to leftovers, and try the following recipes.
